My critical and historical books and essays explore different figures in myth and fairy tale,  such as  the Virgin Mary and Joan of Arc; more  recently I have concentrated on fairy tales, including the Arabian Nights. I  also write novels and short stories,  often drawing on mythic or other imaginary predecessors to translate them into contemporary significance – to re-vision them. Stories come from the past but speak to the present, and I have found that  I need to write stories as well as deconstruct them and place them in historical contexts, because I myself love reading works of imagination, and I would like to join the conversation with admired predecessors, who range from Apuleius  to Virginia Woolf,  Italo Calvino, and Angela Carter.  

Claudio Sopranzetti is an Associate Professor in Anthropology at the Central European University. His research interests sit at the nexus of theorizations of capitalism, urbanism, ecological transition, and social movements in Southeast Asia and Southern Europe. Currently, he is conducting a new research project in southern Italy exploring the aftermath of a phytopatological epidemic that killed more than 21 million olive trees.

At the turn of the twenty-first century astronomers made the surprising discovery that our universe is expanding much faster than expected. The source of this mysterious accelerated expansion - sometimes dubbed 'dark energy' - is still unknown. One possible explanation is that our current theory of gravity, Einstein's theory of General Relativity, breaks down on the largest scales in the universe.

My research focuses on alternative theories of gravity. I study these from both a formal (mathematical) perspective and an observational one: such alternative gravities should leave subtle signatures in the evolution and structure of the universe. Are the latest astronomical telescopes and satellite experiments sensitive enough to detect these effects? I am involved with several European space missions which may be able to confirm - or rule out - the need for a new theory of gravity.

My research interests lie in three main fields: employment law, contract and commercial law, and legal theory. In the field of employment law, a current particular interest concerns the application of human rights principles to the workplace and the employment relation. In relation to contract law, the development of European Community contract law has been a particular interest in recent years. In a combination of legal theory and commercial law, another focus of my research is in the idea of networks as a hybrid form of business organisation that is insufficiently recognised and accommodated by the law.'    

My research interests fall broadly within the public international field, including international energy law and international environmental law. I am currently co-investigator in a cross-institutional two year (2012-2014) research project on Climate Geoengineering Governance (CGG) funded by the ESRC and AHRC, led from the Oxford Institute for Science, Innovation and Society.